It’s important that students have access to books that act as mirrors to their own experiences, but also windows to explore the lived experiences of others. The coming-of-age genre is a great way for students to reflect on the universality of growing up.
The coming-of-age genre is also an excellent way for teachers to help students navigate and discover new things about themselves while at the same time empowering them to tackle the inevitable changes in their lives with resiliency, self-confidence, and understanding.
We have curated a collection of award-winning and inspiring authors whose books on coming-of-age will help reflect the various lives and cultures of students and foster classroom discussions around adolescence.
A timely story of two teenagers who discover the power of friendship, feminism, and standing up for what you believe in, no matter where you come from. A collaboration between two gifted authors writing from alternating perspectives, this compelling novel shines with authenticity, courage, and humor.
Instant New York Times bestseller, longlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize, and with a Hulu TV series in production: Normal People is a wondrous and wise coming-of-age love story from the celebrated author of Conversations with Friends.
The multi-million bestselling novel about a young girl's journey towards healing and the transforming power of love, from the award-winning author of The Invention of Wings and The Book of Longings Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted Black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina—a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of Black beekeeping sisters, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female power, a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.
Educators have raised concerns about students’ growing disconnection from the natural world as academic pressures and screen-based learning increases. Coined by Richard Louv as “nature-deficit disorder,” this loss of direct contact with nature has meaningful implications for students’ health, learning, and long-term environmental stewardship. Integrating nature writing and outdoor experiences into the classroom offers a
In recent years, educators have emphasized the importance of teaching women’s history as a way to address historical silences and confront contemporary challenges to gender equity. Despite being told that “girls can be anything,” students still encounter women appearing as exceptions rather than central figures shaping history and society. In the urgency of this moment,
